Tick, Tick BOOM!
by Flying Toe Shoes
Summary: A series of fourteen one shots examining the relationship of Seiya and Yaten Fighter and Healer inspired by the songs from the musical by Jonathon Larson. There is no set time line.
1. 30 90

**Disclaimer: **I'm back! And this time with a series of one shots based off of the musical _Tick, Tick...BOOM!_ by the late Jonathon Larson. Each fic is based off of a song title. As usual, the characters do not belong to me as they were created by Takeuchi Naoko.

Inspriational Lyric: "They're singing happy birthday, you just wish you could run away"

* * *

For Fighter, birthdays were a celebration, something to look forward to, so why Healer seemed to be dreading the day made absolutely no sense to the dark haired Starlight. Especially since Healer was to have her coming of age that day.

"Perhaps she's worried that you will do something stupid like you did last year."

"Oh, and you had nothing to do with that, Maker?" After a moment, Fighter started to laugh. Perhaps it _did _make sense that Healer would hate birthdays, but that still didn't mean she had to so touchy about it! For the entire week, the short one of the small group had been quicker to anger and gods forbid should someone touch her.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Now remember, she isn't to know that the princess will be at the dinner as well. It's to be a surprise."

"I _know, _Maker! Don't worry so much. C'mon, we need to get to training. They're choosing who will be her guards at the equinox festival; we need to be the best team there!"

The rest of the day went by as normal with training and preparing, although Fighter was slightly concerned with the fact that Healer was faltering but figured it was just because she was distracted by it being her birthday. No matter, though. It was just one day of training. Besides, there were other things going on and Fighter was sure that this day would be one to remember. Of course, she was upset that all the pranks had been cancelled, but with Kakyuu involved, it had to happen that way.

"Where _is _she? We told her that--" before Fighter could continue on with her tirade, she felt a hand on her arm and looked up to the face of Kakyuu, which caused the normally suave girl to blush.

"Why don't you go and check on her? She seemed unwell during your training today."

Unused to being in such proximity to her princess, Fighter could only nod and get up to do as she was told. As she got to Healer's room, Fighter just rolled her eyes. Chances were the short one was just being difficult.

"Oi, Shrimp, come out already! We're waiting on you!" Receiving no response a slight twinge of worry was felt. Healer _had _seemed off during the day. Was it possible that something was really wrong?

"Healer…? I promise, Maker and I haven't done anything today to torment you." Not even a sarcastic quip. Something was wrong. Trying the door, Fighter was relieved to find it unlocked.

Upon opening the door, Fighter was shocked to see Healer curled up tightly in the corner of her room. She had no idea what was going on, but something was obviously hurting her friend and she wanted to help.

"Healer…?" Stepping in carefully, the self proclaimed leader made her way to Healer, putting her hands on the girl's shoulder, who just flinched away, "How can I help you?"

"Make it stop…"

"Make what stop?"

"All of it, I feel everything. I try to block it but every feeling, emotion, death, I feel it all…" It was then that realization dawned. Healer had always been able to sense things such as emotions, but only if they had been strong. But with her coming of age, it would make sense that her abilities would advance quickly.

"Healer, focus on me, okay? I can't make it stop, but we'll work through I this, okay?" Fighter couldn't believe that she hadn't realized it sooner. As leader, she was supposed to take care of her teammates, and she had failed. First things first, though, she needed to contact Maker. Getting up, Fighter left the room and called her other team member with her communicator.

"Maker, we need to cancel."

"Why? Is everything alright?"

"Healer's empathy is going haywire, so I'm going to stay with her tonight to make sure that she's okay."

"Understood."

Closing her communicator, Fighter returned to Healer's room and helped the empathy onto her bed. She still had no idea how to help the girl, so Fighter just decided to hold Healer and start discussing plots against Maker, anything to distract the thirteen year old.

How many hours passed, Fighter didn't know, but soon enough, Healer fell asleep although she seemed quite content to keep Fighter with her. Smirking, the taller girl just stroked her companion's silver locks as she settled in for the night.

"Happy birthday, shrimp."


	2. The Green Green Dress

**Disclaimer: **Only in my dreams do I own the characters, or the song. But of course, they are the property of Takeuchi Naoko and Jonathon Larson, respectedly.

Inspirational Lyric: "The green green dress, twenty buttons and a strap, the green green dress, what a pleasure to unwrap"

* * *

Seiya was not one for getting nervous. She was calm, cool, collected. She should be able to handle going to a wedding; except for the fact that the wedding was for one Tsukino Usagi and Chiba Mamoru. The Starlights had been back on Kinmoku for a short while before the invitation had arrived, and since Kakyuu had felt that it would be good for diplomatic purposes, the Starlights had returned to Earth. So, it was two hours before the wedding, and Seiya was a nervous wreck.

"Oi, Seiya, quite brooding and help me with my dress." Startled out of her thoughts, Seiya looked behind her and noticed that Yaten looked annoyed, the back of her dress open. Perhaps it was sleep depravation or loneliness, but as Seiya went to help her friend, the dark haired Starlight couldn't help but admire how well the green complimented Yaten's complexion, or how smooth her skin appeared. After all, what other explanation could there be for such thoughts, or the fact that she would rather _unbutton _the twenty buttons as opposed to buttoning them up.

"Um…Seiya….?"

"Hai?"

"You can take your hand off my shoulder now." Blushing when she realized that she had kept her hand on the empath's shoulder for longer than necessary, Seiya coughed to clear her throat and pulled her hand away.

"We should go see if Taiki is ready and then head to the church," and in order to avoid any annoyed looks, Seiya headed out of the room, thus missing the concerned look that Yaten had sent towards her.

The wedding itself went by well enough, the girls having a very amusing reaction to seeing the three Kinmokuians in more feminine attire, the most notable being Yaten who always _had _been the most feminine of the three. Surprisingly enough to Seiya, seeing the girl she once had feelings for hadn't been as painful as she had thought it would be. Once again though, Seiya wasn't sure on the reason, but she had a feeling that Yaten had something to do with it, whether it was the unexpected support offered during the ceremony in the form of a hand on her arm, or the questions her earlier thoughts had brought on had yet to be determined though.

"Seiya, I'm glad that you three could make it." Smiling to Usagi, Seiya gave a small nod. Yes, it was strange being away from Kinmoku during renovations, but seeing friends was worth it.

"So are we, Odango."

"I'm so happy that you and Yaten got together, as well. I always thought that--"

"Whoa, what?! Yaten and I aren't together!"

"Really?! I'm so sorry, I just….you two seemed really close at the wedding and you've been watching her the entire reception…I just assumed…I'm sorry!" While Usagi's assumption had thrown Seiya off guard, she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the bride was more observant than initially thought. Could the thoughts about the silver haired light have been hidden feelings? Could Yaten's worry have been her own feelings for Seiya? Something beyond comradeship?

"It's alright, Odango. Your comment just caught me off guard. But I should probably go and check on her. Besides, you have many gusts to speak to." Giving a wink, Seiya headed towards the balcony she had noticed Yaten going to, smiling some as Usagi wished her luck.

On the balcony, it wasn't hard to find Yaten as she was the only one there. Standing entranced, Seiya could only smile gently. She knew how much Yaten loathed such events, all the people and emotions, but there she was without complaining. Walking over to her companion, Seiya wrapped her arms around Yaten's waist, and whispered into her ear in their native tongue.

"For tonight, let's just pretend it's only us." Relieved that the girl in her arms had relaxed into her embrace, Seiya realized that there was something real and true there. She also knew it would be a difficult road ahead, but at the moment, it was just them under the stars. They could worry about the logistics the following day; this was a night for magic.


	3. Fighter Can't Decide

**Disclaimer: **Still a poor college student who is trying to make herself a Yaten costume and being hated on by her wig. Don't sue me for using the characters or song title, please?

Inspirational Lyric: "How do you know when it's time to let go?"

* * *

Fighter stood in her spot, shocked. The Senshi of Earth were to come to Kinmoku for the festival to commemorate the fact that Kinmoku had been rebuilt after the Galactic Wars. She was happy to se the girls again, but she was also nervous. She could have sworn he had moved on from the one sided love she held for Odango. She was happy in her relationship (albeit, new) with Healer. Why were those feelings suddenly popping up again?

"Oi, Fighter, come in, Fighter." Snapping out of her thoughts, Fighter looked down to see Healer, who was looking at her oddly.

"Sorry, I missed what you said."

"Are you feeling okay? You look like you've seen a ghost…" and before protest could be offered, Healer placed the back of her hand against Fighter's forehead, only to pull away sharply, her entire demeanor changing drastically as her eyes narrowed.

"Healer, I…"

"Save it, Fighter." Unable to plead her case, Fighter could only watch as Healer stormed off, confusing Maker who was just on her way to see her leader.

"What did you say this time?"

"I didn't get a chance to say anything." Quirking a brow, Maker decided to let it drop. After all, she knew that Healer would end up ranting to her about whatever Fighter had done later.

"Well, I just heard back from Ami, the girls seem to be…Fighter, what is going on?!" A moment passed before Maker seemed to put two and two together, "I'm _not_ getting in the middle of this."

And Maker did just that. The week leading up to the festival, as well as the week of the festival, she avoided any comment in regards to Fighter's indecision or Healer's stubbornness, although she knew that it was all going to come to head sooner or later.

"Maker, do you think I made a mistake in inviting Earth's Senshi to the festival?" Looking up from her reading, Maker just sighed.

"Perhaps just Usagi."

"But, I couldn't invite the senshi without inviting her, it would--"

"I know, Ouhi. She's always been a touchy subject for the two, that's all." Unfortunately, Kakyuu was unable to respond because arguing could be heard from the hallway, which caused both Maker and Kakyuu to rush to the doorway to see what was going on.

"Healer, just let me explain!" That was not in the cards though as Healer slapped her leader, which seemed to shock everyone that was paying attention to the confrontation.

"Screw you, Fighter! Until you can make up your mind, just leave me alone!" With that, Healer stalked off, leaving the hallway in complete silence, no one knowing what to do or say. After the shock wore off, Fighter seemed to notice that she wasn't alone and grinned wryly.

"That went well."

"Yes, she didn't kill you."

"What should I do, Maker?" Despite her claims of not involving herself, Maker hated to see her two closest friends upset, and it was becoming obvious to her that serious damage was taking place the longer they let the misunderstanding go on.

"What she said. Make up your mind. If you truly do plan to let go of Tsukino, do it before you ruin what you and Healer have."

"But--"

"Fighter! The happiest I have seen you two was when you were together, you balance each other out. Don't try to tell me otherwise." And while she hated to admit it, Fighter knew that Maker was right. But how was she supposed to choose?

"Listen to your heart, Fighter, it will not lead you astray." Looking to Kakyuu, seeming to just realize that she was there, Fighter could only nod before excusing herself. She had _a lot_ of thinking to do.

The next few days were tense to anyone paying attention. Around people, Fighter still laughed and smiled, she was still charismatic, but it was forced. In the privacy of her rooms, she was thoughtful, truly considering her feelings for bother Healer and Usagi. Healer, while never a people person, spent even less time in the company of others. When she wasn't training or out patrolling, she was drawing, and when she was forced to be social, the empath was quicker to anger, so most people stayed away from her. All Maker and Kakyuu could do was hope for the situation to fix itself.

It was the last evening of the festival, and Fighter had finally come to her conclusion. She didn't want to spend an undetermined amount of time regaining Healer's trust, which was why she had to fix things before they got any worse. Her own insecurities about their relationship, fears that Healer would leave her for someone else, had caused old feelings to resurface, in effect doing what she had been scared about.

"May I have this dance?" Normally, Fighter would be confidant in asking such a thing, but knowing that this could be the only time she would get Healer to talk with her, Fighter was nervous that she would be rejected, and rightfully so.

"You should ask Ouhi, you _are _the leader of the Starlights after all."

"Maker stopped being a coward and did so. C'mon, it's the opening dance, it would be bad form not to."

"Fine." Well it was better than getting her head chewed off. Leading Healer to where all of the officials and foreign dignitaries were dancing, Fighter placed her hands on the empath's waist and took a breath.

"I didn't mean to hurt you; I was just trying to protect myself."

"That makes no sense."

"I know. I guess I was scared that you would find someone else, that you would realize I wasn't good enough for you, so when I head Odango was coming, those feelings came back so it wouldn't hurt so much when you left…" Noticing that Healer had her head bowed and that she was shaking, guilt coursed through her, Fighter stopped and resisted the urge to hug the girl in her arms. It wouldn't do any good, after all. "Healer…"

"Moron, don't you think I have those same fears?"

"Please believe me, I am so sorry…" Looking up, Healer shook her head and wiped at her eyes to get rid of the damning evidence of her tears.

"You can't just think that apologizing will make things go back to how they were. That you can just make it all disappear."

"I don't. I just…I don't want to lose you." The ending of the song coincided with that last sentiment, Healer taking her leave after sending a look to her leader. This left Fighter alone on the dance floor, yet for the first time in two weeks, she was actually smiling. It would take time, that she knew, but the look Healer had given her told Fighter that it wasn't over. She would make things right again. While not one for patience, this time it was okay. Healer was worth the effort.


	4. Sunday

**Disclaimer: **We all know the drill. So I'm going to go back to getting tangled in patterns, kay?

Inspirational Lyric: There wasn't one...just the song title that spawned the insanity.

* * *

Seiya was bored out of her mind. Wasn't this Christmas thing supposed to be _fun?_ Getting the tree up had been hilarious, what with Yaten getting stuck on a pile of books she had placed on a chair in a stubborn attempt to put the star atop their tree without assistance, and with Taiki getting tangled in the garland. But that was over and calm had fallen over their apartment, a _boring _silence at that.

"Oi, TenTen-chan, what're you drawing?"

"How I plan to kill you if you call me that again." Grinning, Seiya walked over to Yaten, plopping down on the couch next to the silver haired light, trying to keep from laughing at the obvious annoyance emitting from the short female.

"You wouldn't kill me, you love me too much!"

"That could be debated." Seiya chuckled as she ruffled Yaten's hair, pulling her hand back in mock shock when it was swatted at. Perhaps she had found something to do after all.

"So, the girls are having a…"

"No, we are _not _going to some stupid party so that they can claim some stupid tradition so they can force us into something we wouldn't normally do." Seiya rolled her eyes as Taiki quirked a brow. Yaten was in top form that day, what with shooting down an idea before she even heard the entire thing.

"C'mon, Yaten, it'll be fun!"

"Depends on your definition of fun."

"Lighten up. You're like that character…Scrooge! That's what Odango called him. You're just like Scrooge, no fun ever." As her two friends fought over whether or not they would be going to the Christmas party, Taiki had decided to put some mistletoe over where Seiya and Yaten were sitting. It wasn't like they would notice, anyway.

Stepping away from her handiwork, Taiki cleared her throat in order to get the attention of the two bickering females. She was well aware that she had just signed her own death warrant for what she was about to do, but it would definitely be worth it.

"According to tradition, you two need to kiss."

"WHAT?!"

"You're sitting under mistletoe…"

"That's a stupid tradition. Being forced to kiss someone?! If you're going to kiss a person, it should be because you want to, not because you happen to be under some parasitic plant!"

Never able to resist an opening to taunt Yaten, Seiya shook off her shock from Taiki's initial comment and smirked.

"What's wrong, pipsqueak? Afraid?"

"I'm not afraid, I just think it's a stupid."

"Nah, I think you're scared. Probably don't know how to kiss. I know that I'm pretty intimidating in re--" Yaten gave Seiya no time to continue as she kissed her leader. Pulling away, she just smirked at the look of complete shock and slight blush that Seiya had going on at the moment.

"Told you I wasn't afraid." And with a flick of her ponytail, Yaten turned to leave the room, where Seiya still stood, shell shocked that Yaten had just kissed her like that and Taiki, who was trying hard not to laugh.

"Oh," Poking her head back into the living room, Yaten looked to her two companions. "We're still not going to that party."


	5. No More

**Disclaimer: **Wow, I fail. I had this finished a week ago, but I got distracted by sewing and Stage Managing and choreographing, so it's posted now. Yeah, still don't own them. But I _do _own Healer's unnamed sister. HA! Enjoy

Inspirational Lyric: "We're movin' on up, movin' on up to our deluxe apartment in the sky"

* * *

Fighter wasn't going to lie, having her team chosen to be the personal guard of the princess felt great. The training had been grueling and the competition difficult, after all, only the best were to be chosen and that just happened to be her team.

"Care to dance?"

"Care to bathe?" Fighter had been about to laugh at Healer's rejection to some lord until she heard a sigh from her right. Looking over, the newly appointed leader of the Starlights noticed a woman who was probably Healer's older sister, if appearances were any indication.

"Something wrong?"

"Just Yaten…" It was odd for Fighter to hear Healer called by her given name as they had all been called their senshi names a year after arriving to Kinmoku from their own stars.

"What about her? The fact that she can't open her mouth without some sarcastic comment coming out?" Snickering, the dark haired Light shook her head in amusement.

"It's that very reason that Papa says she'll never marry."

That certainly was an odd comment. Why would a parent think about marriage if their child were only thirteen? It probably just had something to do with Healer's home star, as strange as it seemed to Fighter.

"It's part of her charm. Besides, it's not like he needs to worry about that now. She's a Senshi, we have our own rules to abide."

"Mm…" Feeling uncomfortable, Fighter was suddenly happy that Healer was away from what seemed to be an oppressive star. Perhaps that was why the short senshi was so quick to throw an insult and so closed off. It was definitely a theory worth exploring. "Sometimes I wonder if that's why papa sent her here to train. It's easier than trying to find someone willing to challenge her without turning abusive."

All the talk on marriage and abuse was more than slightly over Fighter's had. And it was far too distressing a conversation for that evening.

"Well, I should go and see that things are in order." That was a lie as the Starlights would not start their duties until the following day, but she needed out of that conversation. Finding Healer on the balcony, Fighter smirked as she went to her companion.

"Your home star is weird."

"No kidding. Let's go pull a prank on Maker."

"Now, Healer, we can't do such things now that we're Senshi." Rolling her eyes, Healer looked to Fighter, who was trying not to laugh.

"Oh please. You don't think that's what Maker is planning? Let's go!"

Laughing, Fighter followed after Healer, glad that she was on Kinmoku as opposed to being forced into some archaic marriage. Who else would plot with her?


	6. Therapy

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I am still a poor college student, so I would take it as a kindness if you do not sue me for using the characters created by Takeuchi Naoko, the song title by Jonathon Larson or the arguement from the musical _We Will Rock You_. It was just too perfect for this one..

Inspirational Lyric: "I'm not mad that you got mad that I got mad when you said I should go drop dead!"

* * *

"Slow down, will you?!" 

"No, you keep up!"

Hearing the argument from her spot in the library, Maker could only sigh as the peace in the palace came to an abrupt end as Fighter and Healer returned from their patrol. Honestly, was it too much to ask for a peaceful night of reading?

"I've got shorter legs than you!"

"Don't worry, your mouth makes up for it!"

Shooting Kakyuu an exasperated look, Maker was about to return to her reading when she heard Healer's retort.

"Well, you weren't complaining about that last night, now were you?"

Despite her familiarity with the two, there were just some certain things about their relationship that she _really _didn't want to know about. Such as how the two behaved behind closed doors. On that subject, Maker was more than happy to be ignorant.

"Do you think that we should interfere?"

Looking up from her book, Maker shook her head and marked her page. Obviously, reading was not going to be finished any time soon.

"No. This appears to be one of their fights where they are arguing for the sake of arguing. It's just best to let them get it out of their system."

"I…see…."

As the two tried to return to their reading, despite knowing it would be futile, Maker and Kakyuu couldn't help but paying attention to the raised voices in the hall. They would have to be deaf to not hear it, after all.

"Healer, stop pointing at me like that!"

"And if I don't?"

Perhaps it was a bad thing that Maker knew the exact expressions being made by Fighter and Healer at the time, (annoyed and challenging, respectfully), but after being around the two for so long, it would be hard not to.

"How do you stay sane with this happening so often?"

"I have to. _Someone _needs to remain rational with those two involved."

Apparently during that go between, the fight outside had changed. There was no other reason for Fighter's exclamation of what sounded to be victory.

"Oh, give it to me one more time!"

"In. Your. Dreams." This was then punctuated by a slamming door. Well, that certainly had been an interesting fight. Maker shook her head with a smirk as she heard running and then a door opening and closing again soon after. She knew that the two would make it up, they always did. After all, this had been one of those fights about nothing at all, those were always easy to mend. Maker just didn't want to know _how _it would be mended.

"Well, it seems that we have some peace now." With that, Maker went back to her reading while Kakyuu just stared at the door of the library in something akin to shock and confusion.


	7. Real Life

**Disclaimer: **Yes, I own EVERYTHING! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Okay, only in my mind. Fighter and Healer belong to Takeuchi Naoko and the song title to the late Jonathon Larson.

Inspirational Lyric: "Sunlight through window across from your bed"

* * *

There were times when Fighter could not believe her luck. Mostly, this occurred in the mornings, before Healer woke up. The empath was always so guarded while awake, but Fighter was the only one who saw her completely at ease. Be it by catching Healer in the gardens while she was drawing or a surprise kiss in the hallways when no one was around. But mostly, it was when the silver haired light was asleep next to her in the early hours of the mornings. There was a time when Fighter hated mornings, but now she lived for them, lived to brush Healer's bangs aside with no worry of being caught.

Were someone to tell her a year ago that she would be in such a relationship, Fighter would have laughed at them. Her and Healer? The two were always arguing about something or another, always pressing each other's buttons to get a rise. Yes, the two cared for one another, they were comrades, friends, but that didn't meant that they were to fall in love. No, Healer was a stubborn shrimp who enjoyed challenging Fighter, who in retaliation took it upon herself to knock the short one down a few pegs. Of course, that hadn't changed much, but there she was, watching her lover sleep, knowing she was the only one to see Healer so at peace.

Not many knew of course, only Kakyuu and Maker as they were the only ones that it would be safe to inform, let they be separated by the archaic rules of the committee. If they had expected shock, though, Fighter and Healer had been sorely mistaken. Apparently, Kakyuu and Maker had known even before them about the feelings that lay beneath all the taunting and bickering and had in fact, been trying to set the two up for a few years.

Watching the shadows play across Healer's face, Fighter sighed. Time for the ruse of merely friendship to start up all again. It pained Fighter to not be able to share her feelings in front of everyone, but rules were rules, so it would be no good for Healer to be caught in her room so early in the morning. Kissing the sleeping senshi beside her gently, Fighter leaned down to whisper to Healer,

"Time to wake up."

The response that she was given included some sort of sound that probably meant 'ten more minutes' and Healer shifting so that she was curled up right beside her leader, her head resting against the taller woman's shoulder and an arm draped across her stomach. Smirking as she wrapped an arm around Healer's shoulders, Fighter shook her head in amusement.

"Fine, ten more minutes."


	8. Sugar

**Disclaimer: **Don't own them, wish I did. Oh well.

Inspirational Lyric: None, just the feel of the song. And oh is it amusing.

* * *

There were certain facts of life that should never be questioned. In the apartment of the Three Lights, such facts included not to make comment on Taiki's poetry lest one wished to be the target of the tallest idol's latest prank, or how Yaten would take as long as she wanted to in the bathroom and should she be rushed she would throw things with surprising accuracy, and above all else, Seiya was not allowed in the kitchen under _any _circumstances.

Upon entering their apartment, a feeling of dread filled Yaten's stomach. One of the facts had been ignored and there would be pain for all involved.

"Seiya, what are you--" Yaten was never given a chance to finish her question, for what appeared to be a pancake was flipped and ended up right atop her head and dripped down her hair and face.

"Oh! Yaten! Look at this recipe that Odango gave me! Chocolate chip pancakes! They're really…uh….Yaten….?" Realizing that the short idol was being far too quiet to be healthy, Seiya took a hesitant step towards Yaten, who was trembling in rage, her hands clenched at her sides.

"Seiya…you have until the count of five to run…"

"Eh, but Yaten, you hate running."

"Today is the exception. One…two…three…four…five." And before Seiya could protest, she suddenly found herself being chased around the apartment by one pissed off empath.

"Oi! Don't hurt me! I was trying to—ack!" and suddenly, Seiya was tackled to the ground, Yaten atop of her and breathing heavily.

During the entire chase, neither had noticed Taiki's return until she spoke up.

"Well, had I known you two were to be having sex in the middle of the living room, I would have stayed out longer…"

That comment left Seiya speechless and red, while Yaten sputtered out something unintelligible before stalking to her room and slamming the door shut. Sitting up, Seiya just sweat dropped as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"I made pancakes…?"

Quirking a brow, Taiki just shook her head. Sometimes, it was just safer not to ask.


	9. See Her Smile

**Disclaimer: **I really love this song. Anyway, I don't own it, nor do I own the characters. Oh, wait. I can lay claim to the dead sister. Yay!

Inspirational Lyric: None, it's the entire song that inspired this particular one shot.

* * *

One of the hardest things about being in a relationship with Healer was not her moods and stubbornness, but instead her habit of saying that she was fine when she wasn't. To see her give a smile while knowing it was forced. Fighter knew better to call her on such actions though, otherwise Healer would stop talking to her altogether. But was it so wrong of Fighter to want to see an actual smile from Healer?

"Gah, why does she have to be so stubborn?!" Growling in frustration, Fighter flopped onto her back to stare at the ceiling. It had been a week, a very long week at that, of such behavior. It had started when Healer had fallen during a training session. Fighter could tell that something was wrong, but Healer simply said that she was fine and went about the rest of the day as though things were just that even though it was obvious they weren't. For the following days, Fighter did everything in her abilities to get a response out of Healer, mostly trying for a smile. She joked around, made a fool of herself by trying the romance thing, planning pranks against Maker, trying to get Maker and Ouhi together. She even tried bickering just to get a rise out Healer. But nothing worked. It wasn't until three days later that Fighter found out why. When the letter arrived stating that Healer's older sister had been killed, everything made sense. That was also when things changed.

Healer still was pulling away from the others, determined to deal with it all by herself, but Fighter had a new agenda. To get her lover to open up, to get her to _cry. _She needed it, she needed to stop keeping her emotions to herself otherwise Fighter knew that Healer would make herself sick with her own emotions on top of everyone else's. But all of that had failed. Getting desperate, Fighter had suggested that Healer take time off from, but that idea was rejected. But there was no reason that Fighter could force the short senshi to do that since she never faltered while on patrol or in training or in the infirmary. But it was slowly killing Fighter to see how dead to the world Healer had become. She barely ate, she barely slept, she stopped drawing and taking photographs, and she stopped arguing. She merely wandered the halls like a ghost and it was scaring Fighter, but she had no idea on how to help.

Getting fed up, the dark haired senshi got up and went to Healer's room, entering without even bothering to knock.

"This is getting ridiculous, Healer! You can't shut me out whenever something bad happens! When we entered this relationship, we promised to be there for one another, but how can I do that if you don't tell me why you're hurting?! Please…I just want to help you through this…will you let me do that?"

As for Healer, she had not expected that from Fighter, nor had she really realized how obvious she was in her hurting. She had tried so hard to numb herself to having felt her older sister being murdered that she had not stopped to think that Fighter would pick up on her depression. So when her leader entered her room, Healer could only blink some as she swallowed back her tears. She didn't want to speak, she couldn't. So in answer, the silver haired empath closed the distance between herself and Fighter, wrapping her arms around the taller woman's torso and just clung to her in silence.

Sighing, Fighter led the broken female to her bed and lay down beside her, stroking Healer's hair soothingly. No, it wasn't a smile, but it was a start.


	10. Come to Your Senses

**Disclaimer: ** Still don't own anything. Can I stop with this yet? whines

Inspirational Lyric: "I finally open up, for you I would do anything, but you've turned off the volume just when I'd begun to sing"

* * *

Two years back on Kinmoku, and Healer couldn't be happier. Well, until that morning, when Fighter had received a summons from the committee at the ungodly hour of seven. What this meant was that Healer had been caught in bed with her leader, thus breaking one of the strict rules imposed upon the senshi by an old fashioned tradition that really had no relevance beyond the fact that the committee never bothered to update things. Of course, that was not relevant at the moment. No, what was relevant was the fact that Fighter had been pulling away from her since returning from the meeting, and Healer did not like it.

Following a tense dinner, Healer had grabbed her sketch pad and started towards the gardens. She needed to clear her mind, as well as figure out what was going on with Fighter. Finding a spot near the fountain, Healer had been sketching for ten minutes when she noticed her leader standing at the edge of the terrace, so setting aside her charcoals and sketch pad, Healer walked over to Fighter and wrapped her arms around the dark haired senshi's waist.

"We have to end this." And that was _not _the reaction that Healer was expecting.

"W…what?" Pulling away, Healer eyed Fighter critically, half expecting this to be some sort of joke. A cruel one, but a joke none the less.

"This…us…we need to end it. The committee…"

"Is a bunch of bastards who can't mind their own damn business." Fighter sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. She should have known that Healer wouldn't make this easy on her.

"Damnit, Healer! Do you think I _want _to do this!? This morning was damning, but they know and if we don't end it, we'll be stripped of our titles. Who would protect Ouhi then!?"

Healer regarded Fighter coolly, figuring out just what she wanted to say.

"I never thought you would back down from fighting for this. You were the one who said that we were the lucky ones. Guess I was wrong." Turning to walk off, Healer was stopped when Fighter grabbed her arm and turned her to kiss her deeply, before looking at Healer pleadingly.

"Please don't be mad…"

"Don't be mad!? You're ending this because you're too coward to fight for us! You _know _that Ouhi doesn't mind and that she would back us! We were the lucky ones because we found love despite the rules. Yes, we had to hide it, but we had it. Now you want to just throw all of that away?! So yes. I'm mad." Shooting a scathing look to Fighter, Healer ripped away from her leader and stalked back inside, leaving her sketching materials behind.

Sighing, Fighter went to the forgotten art supplies and picked them up, prepared to give them to Maker to return to Healer when she noticed the piece that Healer had been working on. It was of them, and like usual, she had managed to capture the intensity between them and the familiarity. Fighter didn't know how long she stood outside staring at the drawing, but it seemed an eternity. Healer was right. Okay, so rarely was Healer wrong, but she was right. They had been through so much together, they had been lucky in finding one another. Fighter knew it all along, but she had been afraid. What the two had was worth fighting for, and like hell would Fighter back down without so much as a word. Determination in her eyes, the leader of the Starlights headed back to the palace. She would right this. She had to, lest she lose the most important thing to her.


	11. Why

**Disclaimer: **Don't own them. Don't own the the title either. If you hate me after this one, I understand. I hate myself, too. Luckily I have three more one shots for this story though.

Inspirational Lyric: None. Entire context/background of the song.

* * *

Fighter was growing anxious. Healer should have returned to the meet up point then. So where was she? Sighing in frustration, a look was sent to Maker,

"I'm going to go find her. Stay here in case she shows up." At the nod, Fighter took off in the direction the short Starlight had gone. Despite Kinmoku being rebuilt, there were still many citizens who were upset about what had happened with Galaxia, so frequent patrolling was necessary.

"The damn shrimp better not have just returned to the palace." And even as she said it, Fighter knew that wasn't the case. No matter how often Healer complained of the night time patrols, she knew that the empath always did everything as she was supposed to. Which made the fact that she was a half hour late so nerve wracking.

Rounding a corner, Fighter's blood ran cold, for crumpled on the ground was Healer. Rushing over to her, the leader of the Starlights quickly dropped to her knees to check her companion's pulse. Good, it was still there, although faint.

"You idiot, why didn't you call for help?!" Looking to the side, Fighter had her answer. Healer's communicator lay broken a few feet away, which would also explain why she hadn't responded to when Fighter called her.

Turning Healer over, Fighter eyes widened. Someone had stabbed her, but the question was why? Who? There was no time for questions though, the silver haired senshi needed medical attention. Moving to pick her up, Fighter stopped when Healer cried out in pain. Okay, moving her was obviously not an option. Grabbing her communicator, Fighter called for help.

"Maker! I need you to go to the palace and get some healers!"

"What happened?"

"Healer's down, just do it!" Hearing Maker's communicator disconnect, Fighter shifted so that Healer's head was resting on her lap, holding a gloved hand protectively.

"It'll be alright, Healer, Maker's getting help."

"It's cold…" Fighter had not been expecting any sort of response from the injured female, but the comment was not reassuring given that it was still quite warm out.

"You need to make up your mind, pipsqueak. First you complain about the heat and now it's too cold." She knew this wasn't the time for jokes, but if she didn't keep the mood light, Fighter knew she would start crying and that just would not do.

"Fighter, I…"

"Shut up. You are _not _making any confessions or saying any goodbyes, so don't even think about it! You're going to be fine!"

"Fighter…"

"Stop it! You're going to be fine, you have to be. Who else will help me prank Maker?" Once Healer stopped trying to say her goodbyes, Fighter brushed the silver haired senshi's bangs aside, which only increased her worry as it seemed the empath was gaining a fever, her skin paler than normal. When Healer started to cough up blood, though, Fighter's worry changed into panic. This was a bad sign.

"Healer, you need to fight this. If you die…I'll kick your ass!" Why Fighter said that, she had no idea. But she was panicking. Besides, this was Healer; the girl could probably piss off Death and be sent back to the land of the living! It wasn't until she felt Healer reach up weakly and brush a few tears away that Fighter even realized she was crying.

"I'm s--" The sentence was never finished though, for Healer's arm fell limp as she breathed her last breath.

"Healer….?" At the lack of a response, all color left Fighter's face, who tried to shake the empath, to no avail. "Healer, wake up! This isn't funny!" When she was still given no response, Fighter began growing hysterical, clinging to the limp body and begging it to wake up.

"Damnit, Healer, you weren't supposed to die! I never….This is a prank, a cruel prank. Haha. You got me, now wake up!"

"It's not a prank…" Maker's voice seemed to startle Fighter as she looked up.

"It has to be!" Maker sighed softly as she knelt down next to her leader and fallen friend.

"The dagger she was stabbed with was saturated with poison. There's no way she could have survived."

Hearing Maker verify what she feared, Fighter just held Healer's body to her.

"I never got to tell her how I felt…we kept fighting, I kept lying…I thought I had the time to…"

"I'm sure she knew…"

"I didn't even let her say goodbye."

Maker sighed softly as Fighter kept murmuring to herself. She really had hoped that the two would admit their feelings, but now that was never to happen.

"Come on, Fighter. We need to tell Ouhi." Nodding numbly, Fighter stood up and cradled Healer to her, regretting all of the things she never said and all the things she would never get the chance to say.


	12. Louder Than Words

**Disclaimer: **Don't own them nor the title. But I feel better now. Hopefully this makes up for the last one-shot.

Inspirational Lyric: "Why do we stay with lovers who we know down deep just are not right? Why would we rather put ourselves through hell than sleep alone at night?"

* * *

It had been two years since the battle against Galaxia, and things on Earth were going well. At least, on the surface they were. Why Yaten had allowed herself to be talked into going on a double date was unknown. She was pretty sure that it was because she wanted shut Minako up and agreeing to this particular idea had been the fastest way to do so. Thus, there she was, sitting in some pizza parlor with an annoying blonde attached to her arm, and another annoying blonde attached to Seiya's arm across from her. It was decided. This very moment was hell. Hearing her name, Yaten blinked as she focused on the group she was with.

"Eh?"

"Is…everything okay, Yaten-kun? We've been trying to get your attention for your order for five minutes."

"I'm not hungry." At the short response, Minako shrugged, Usagi blinked and Seiya sent her an odd look, to which Yaten just glared in return. This was shaping up to be a normal get together, what with Minako, Seiya and Usagi talking about some asinine topic while Yaten wished she were back on Kinmoku, where the only thing she had to hide was her heart as opposed to who she was as a whole. She was tired of it all, tired of the lies, tired of pretending to be male. But someone had to keep Seiya out of trouble.

Hearing Minako giggled and feeling her leaning in, Yaten snapped out of her thoughts and noticed that Seiya and Usagi were kissing, and based off of Minako's expression, she wanted to do the same. This was it; there was no way that Yaten could handle the lies anymore. Standing up quickly, the silver haired idol stalked out of the pizza parlor, leaving behind three very confused patrons.

"I'll go see how he is..." Excusing herself, Minako got up and chased after her 'boyfriend', leaving Seiya and Usagi alone.

"I wonder what that was about."

"I have no idea, and I live with him. He's been more moody lately, though." Shrugging, Seiya sighed softly as she leaned against the back of the booth, staring at the door worriedly.

"Ne, Seiya….my parents aren't going to be home tomorrow night, so I was thinking that perhaps we could…you know….um…" When Usagi trailed off, Seiya blinked in confusion. Had Usagi just suggested they have sex? Or was she reading the statement incorrectly? One look at the klutzy blonde gave Seiya her answer. Well, that was unexpected. What happened to the naïve sixteen year old who she used to enjoy making flustered? Oh, right, her friends were becoming more sexually active, so she was probably curious herself. But how to get out of this predicament?

"I…well…um…" Oh, this was awkward. Luck was on Seiya's side though when Minako returned.

"Seiya, I think you should go after him, he seemed pretty upset." When _didn't _Yaten seem upset? No matter, it was an excuse to avoid the awkwardness. Kissing Usagi goodbye, Seiya got up and left the pizza parlor and started towards the apartment she shared with Yaten, trying to figure out what had caused the outburst back at the restaurant. Arriving at her destination, Seiya was unprepared for what she saw. Yaten, dressed as she would back on Kinmoku, and throwing her possessions into a bag.

"Yaten, what are you…"

"I can't do this anymore, Seiya!" And now Seiya understood why Minako seemed so worried. Those words made it seem as though the empath were getting ready to kill herself.

"Can't do what? Yaten…what's wrong?!"

"Being on Earth, pretending to be male, I just can't do it anymore!"

Despite having spent most of her life with Yaten and being used to her moods, Seiya rarely saw her friend break down like this, and she wasn't exactly sure how to handle it.

"I thought you were happy…you and Minako…"

"I was only with her because I got tired of watching you with Usagi! Besides, I broke up with her, it's over. I'm going home, Seiya. Hopefully I can be re-instated on Ouhi's personal guard; otherwise I'll have the infirmary. But I'm done with this!" Throwing the last of her art supplies into a bag, Yaten started to the door, only to be stopped by Seiya grabbing her arm and pulling her back to kiss her. When her leader broke said kiss, all Yaten could do was blink and look at her in shock.

"S…Seiya?"

"For being an empath, you're pretty oblivious to what was going on…I was trying to make you jealous." When she heard that, Yaten rolled her eyes.

"Congratulations, it worked, idiot."

Hearing that, Seiya laughed nervously as she scratched the back of her head.

"Yeah…guess I didn't think through what to do after that."

"No, you didn't." As silence fell over the room, Seiya sighed. She was still in a sticky situation in regards to what to do about Usagi now that she knew how Yaten really felt about her.

"So…what now?" Quirking a brow, Yaten just eyed Seiya curiously as the answer seemed pretty simple to her. "Well, I mean, I can't just _leave_ Odango…especially now that she suggested that we…yeah…" It took a few moments for Yaten to realize what had been suggested and then all of her self control not to laugh. Why would Seiya be freaking out about that unless….

"She doesn't know you're female, does she?"

"Nope. She still thinks we're male and that just our senshi forms are female."

"We could always let her just walk in on us." Smirking, Yaten then proceeded to laugh until she had a pillow thrown at her.

"Are you going to take this seriously!?"

"No." Sighing in frustration, Seiya was about to run her fingers through her hair when she felt Yaten pull her down into a kiss.

"Wh…."

"You'll figure it out, you always do." Hearing Yaten's words, Seiya just nodded. More and more, she was finding herself addicted to the empath's kisses, her touch, her voice, to her in general and it was exciting.

"So, what do we do?" Quirking a brow, Seiya posed a similar question, although the meaning was different, and it appeared as though Yaten picked up on it.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something." One look was all it took for Seiya to follow Yaten to her room, all worries forgotten in the face of what the night still had to offer.


	13. Boho Days

**Disclaimer: **Blah blah blah. I own nothing but the voices in my head.

Inspirational Lyric: "The ship is sort of sinking, so let's start drinking before we start thinking 'Is this the life?'

* * *

Healer was annoyed, no, not annoyed. She was ready to throttle someone, preferably the person running training that day or Fighter. For whatever reason, she was the one that always ended up being called out, first because she ignored a supposedly fatal wound, which really could be dealt with once things had calmed down. And then this time? This time, Healer paid attention to a 'minor' injury, thus leaving herself open and Maker having to take all the attacks. Of course, it didn't matter that Fighter was suffering a severe case of internal bleeding and could have died. No, her judgment was off, so the trainer and Fighter had to yell at her.

Flopping onto her bed unceremoniously, the silver-haired trainee just glared at the ceiling, throwing a stress ball into the air and catching it. No doubt the Committee was currently discussing how she should be sent home. And so what if they did? The only reason Healer had been sent to Kinmoku for training was so that she would listen to authority. Why should she put up with no one trusting her? It wasn't as if she had any real connections there, so there would be nothing to miss.

Sighing to herself, Healer stopped throwing the ball just as she heard a knock on the door. Growling in frustration, the empath got up and walked to the door, startled when she saw Kakyuu and Fighter there.

"O…Ouhi." Bowing quickly, Healer stood upright, unsure what was going on so feeling very tense.

"You did well today, Healer." This was it; despite the smile, Kakyuu was telling her that despite doing well, she had to go back to the oppressive star she had to refer to as home. "Fighter…?" And now the silver haired one was confused. If she were being told to pack, why make Fighter do it, and why did Fighter look like she were in trouble? "I believe you have something to say to Healer…"

"I'm sorry for getting mad at you, you saved my life…"

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I'll just leave you two alone." Smiling gently, Kakyuu left the room, leaving the two teens to stand in an awkward silence. Yes, after Healer's birthday, she and her leader had slowly grown closer, but that didn't change the fact that this situation was extremely awkward. So, in the face of awkward, Healer did her natural defense mechanism, getting angry and straight to the point.

"If you're here to tell me I need to go, just do it already."

"Did you not hear me? You saved my life. You were right. The trainer and I were wrong….I'm sorry for not listening to you." Of all the things she had been expecting, Fighter's admission was not it, Fighter _never _admitted to being wrong, especially to Healer. Unsure, a minute passed before the empath just nodded.

"Well, it's not like you're the only one not to trust me."

"Would you quit doing that?! You act like it's no big deal when it is. You're on my team and I should trust you. You've never been wrong yet, and I still don't listen. And even if you weren't on my team, you're still my friend and I should know you wouldn't drain yourself unless it was necessary!"

Once again, the conversation came to an uncomfortable silence, Healer tugging on her ponytail as Fighter calmed down from getting so worked up. These kinds of situations always seemed so suffocating, and the fact that Healer hadn't said anything signified to those who knew her that forgiveness had been given. Thankfully, Fighter seemed to pick up on that.

"Well, now that that's done, let's go and alter the door on Maker's room so she hits her forehead when she walks in."

How Fighter planned on doing that, Healer had no idea, but she did come to a conclusion as she and her leader snuck down the halls of the palace in search for tools. These were the moments worth living for, worth fighting and staying for. The moments when she could just be a girl, when she realized that she did have friends and people whom trusted her and she trusted in return, and that was worth everything.


	14. 30 90 Playout

**Disclaimer:** Still own nothing...

Inspirational Lyric: It's instrumental, so there is none. But it's ties into the first one...marvel at the circular-ness of this series!

* * *

Yaten was hiding something; when there wasn't idol or senshi business to be had, she locked herself in her room or went out, and when she was questioned on it, the empath either got defensive, changed the subject or said nothing. This behavior had been going on for a month and was beginning to piss Seiya off. They needed to stick together and here Yaten was, pulling away. 

On this day though, it did not matter, for it was Seiya's birthday, so she wasn't about to let the silver haired idol's moods influence her day. The day itself went by smoothly enough. There was a radio appearance to promote a new single and talk about Seiya's hope for the day, things of that nature. And of course, there were the parties to look forward to. Yes, there were to be three parties that were to take place. The first one was with Mr. Manager and people in the entertainment industry, followed by one with the girls and then lastly, a private one with just the three idols.

The first gathering went on without a hitch, although it seemed to be more business than anything. There were so many people to greet that Seiya almost felt as though she were back on Kinmoku for some gathering. It made the leader of the Starlights nostalgic for home and her princess.

A half hour after that ended, the Three Lights were at their apartment, the girls over and being, well, themselves. It was relieving to have the atmosphere more at ease and the cake Makoto had made was delicious. At some point, Seiya noticed that Yaten was being her normal moody self, but thought nothing of it. If Yaten wanted to be anti-social and miserable, so be it. Besides, it was time for presents, the most interesting being what appeared to be a scarf from Usagi.

"What _is _this, Odango?"

"It's a scarf!" Laughing as she teased Usagi, Seiya's eyes narrowed slightly as Yaten just up and left. But that was something that she would deal with once the girls were gone. Was it so much to ask for just _one _day without an argument? Apparently so. Soon enough, the girls left though and it was just the three idols.

"I'll make tea." Which was Taiki's way of saying that she wasn't getting into the middle of it, an excuse she used often. Getting up, Seiya made her way to Yaten's room, ready to chew the short one out, so to hell with knocking.

"What the hell is your problem, Yaten?! Of all the days to…eh…?" It was only then that Seiya noticed Yaten dressed in celebratory Kinmokuian garb and…smiling?

"Follow me."

"Y…Yaten?" Confused, Seiya did as she was told, startled at the drastic change that had taken place in so short an amount of time. Somehow, Taiki had managed to decorate the living room similar to their home and dressed like Yaten. Feeling teary eyed, the thing that made Seiya let the tears fall was when she saw Yaten's present to her; a collage of drawings and photographs of the three and Kakyuu, scenes from Kinmoku and Earth. Somehow, the two had managed to make their small apartment seem like home and that meant the world to Seiya, who suddenly found herself embraced by Yaten.

"Happy birthday, idiot."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** It's finally done. But fear not, I have two new projects. Once is an AU fic called "Rose Red" about the Kinmokuians and what would happen, how they would meet and all, if they weren't all senshi. And the other is a series of 200 or so one shots (yes, I'm insane) called "Chasin' After You", once again SeiYaten fun. These will be worked on concurrently because I'm just that cool. Thanks for the reviews. 


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